Classroom Reading and Language Games

ABCya

Games organized by grade from Pre-K to 6+. A handful are free each week and membership unlocks the rest.

Pre-K–6 · Some free weekly; membership · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Math games, Kindergarten, Elementary

Arcademics

Multiplayer racing-style games for math facts, spelling, typing and geography.

K–8 · Free · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Math games, Elementary, Middle school

Boddle

A 3D game world covering math and English language arts, with questions that adapt to each student.

K–6 · Free; premium from $5.83/month · Student devices

Also in: Math games, Kindergarten, Elementary

Categories

A quick word game that works in any subject.

Give a category such as animals, verbs or elements, and a letter. Teams have one minute to write as many matching words as they can. Words that no other team wrote score double.

3–12 · Free · No materials

Also in: No-prep games, ESL games, Elementary, Middle school, High school

Freerice

A trivia game owned by the UN World Food Programme, built around its work to end hunger. Vocabulary is the best-known category.

Student devices

Also in: Science and social studies games, Elementary, Middle school, High school

Funbrain

Games, books and videos you can browse by grade from Pre-K to 8.

Pre-K–8 · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Math games, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle school

Hot Seat

Vocabulary review where the class does the explaining.

One student sits facing the class with their back to the board. Write a word or term on the board. The class gives clues without saying the word until the student in the hot seat guesses it. Play in two teams and time each turn to keep it moving.

3–12 · Free · No materials

Also in: No-prep games, ESL games, Elementary, Middle school, High school

Mr. Nussbaum

Thousands of activities and over 400 games made by an elementary teacher, strong on US history and geography.

K–8 · Some free; subscription for the rest · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Science and social studies games, Math games, Elementary, Middle school

Pictionary

Drawing vocabulary on the board for a team to guess.

Split into two teams. One student from a team draws a word from your list on the board while their team guesses within a time limit. No letters, numbers or talking from the artist.

2–8 · Free · No materials

Also in: No-prep games, ESL games, Elementary, Middle school

Quizlet Live

Turns any Quizlet study set into a team race where groups have to talk to each other to find the right answer.

Any grade · Free to set up · Student devices

Also in: Games like Kahoot, Review games, Middle school, High school

RoomRecess

Over 160 reading, typing and math games made by an elementary teacher, with no sign-up or account needed.

Elementary · Free · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Math games, Elementary

Sparkle

A whole-class spelling game that needs only a word list.

Students stand in a circle. Call out a word. Each student in turn says the next letter. After the last letter the next student says "sparkle" and the student after that sits down. A wrong letter also means sitting down. Last one standing wins.

1–5 · Free · No materials

Also in: No-prep games, Elementary

SplashLearn

Math and reading games with teaching tools for the classroom screen.

Pre-K–5 · Free to use · Student devices

Also in: Math games, Kindergarten, Elementary

Starfall

Phonics-first reading games from a nonprofit. The learn-to-read program is free and membership adds more.

K–5 · Free reading program; membership · Student devices

Also in: Math games, Kindergarten, Elementary

Sumdog

The whole class plays the same math or spelling game while each student gets questions at their own level.

Ages 5–14 · Paid; free trial · Student devices

Also in: Math games, Elementary, Middle school

Turtle Diary

More than 1,000 games across math, language arts, science and geography, with a multiplayer section.

K–5 · Free with ads; ad-free upgrade · Student devices

Also in: Online games, Math games, Science and social studies games, Kindergarten, Elementary

Vocabulary Jam

A live team vocabulary contest from Vocabulary.com.

Student devices

Also in: Middle school, High school

Wordwall

One activity can be switched between 30+ formats such as quizzes, matching games and flashcards, and printed for offline use.

Any grade · Free Basic plan (3 activities) · One screen or student devices

Also in: Review games, ESL games, Elementary, Middle school